There may be no bigger success story in the past year than Abel Tesfaye, better known as Toronto R&B sensation The Weeknd. In March, Tesfaye released House of Balloons, a nine-song mixtape, for free through his website. He then followed it up last month with a second free album, Thursday. Both albums offer a sparse but powerful take on R&B.

The Weeknd has found an incredible number of supporters during his short career, but none more vocal than the R&B artist Drake. The duo, both from Toronto, collaborated on the song "The Zone" from The Weeknd's new album, and Drake also hosted his collaborator's second-ever live performance at his OVO Festival.

Proving that 2011 is his year, The Weeknd has only picked up steam since his first release. His song "High For This" soundtracked the promotional videos for this fall's Entourage--impressive for someone with no physical release or label backing. Additionally, House of Balloons and Thursday aren't all we'll hear from Tesfaye in 2011--he's promised a third EP. Echoes of Silence is scheduled to hit the Internet soon, and it's bound to be Character Approved.

[Image: The Weeknd]